Demand for Drug & Alcohol Treatment Centers on the Rise
It used to be that rehab was something addicts battled in the dark. It carried a negative stigma and was something that one tried to hide. These days, everyone is going to rehab, including the likes of Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, and Lindsay Lohan. It is even ‘celebrated’ in a sense in songs such as Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” and has been further popularized by the likes of the hit VH1 series entitled, “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.”
Reports released by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in the United States reveal that attitudes toward drinking have become increasingly more liberal since 1992. In fact, in the last eighteen years, there have been increases in the number of men and women who drink – an increase of 6% and 8% respectively. They attribute these numbers in part to the new liberal outlook on drinking.
However, today’s addicts usually suffer with more than just alcoholism – it is often a hybrid addiction of alcohol and other drugs. Luckily, treatment centers are responding as more and more individuals enter into rehab for alcohol and drug abuse. The UK has seen an interesting trend as treatment is moving to the suburbs to accommodate those who need help. The increase in sober living homes is an effort by the government to increase community support and minimize drug-related offenses and long-term health expenses.
Not surprisingly, the residential treatment facilities have been met with a fair amount of criticism. Some feel that relocating addicts to the suburbs is literally the equivalent of dumping the problem off on others. There have been neighborly complaints by those who don’t like the idea of treatment centers being located in their backyards. Also, other traditional treatment centers have been lobbying for government intervention, stating the need for stiffer governmental regulation – they argue that all operating treatment centers need to be properly licensed.
Critics maintain that there are no industry standards for what defines a long-term cure for those struggling with addition. Legitimate rehab facilities are demanding stronger governmental legislation to prevent imposters from popping up to cash in on the demise of others. While there is a general acknowledgement that treatment centers need to have tighter restrictions, there is still debate on what that reform should look like.
Even though treatment centers may not be perfect, for some like, “Steve,” a recovering addict of 28 years, the availability of such treatment centers is vital. Trust the Process Counseling (TTP) is a treatment center located about 30 miles outside of London that offers a 12 step recovery course similar to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Steve says that drugs and alcohol kept him from dealing with his loneliness. One day he hit rock bottom and stumbled across TTP’s recovery courses on the Internet.
Steve says he used to be a terrible person because drugs would take him to a very dark place. He would steal, con and fraud others for money just to get his drugs. Now Steve has hope, and a will to live. While he describes his road to recovery as rocky, he now feels like he has a fighting chance. Steve is currently serving as a counselor for TTP sharing his hope with others.
